Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China
China: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
38th
of 199 countries
All-time high
9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
All-time low
0.6853 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1875
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China stood at 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China peaked at 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6853 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1875.
China ranks 38th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.9913 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9544 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.8032 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6948 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.927 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.7049 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6853 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.721 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.8421 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7526 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9112 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.964 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 35 Belarus 10.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 36 Botswana 10.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 37 Norway 10.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 39 Paraguay 9.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 40 Bhutan 9.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 41 Belgium 9.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for China
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 6.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 1.41 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 933.17 million (2025)
- Urban population 66.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 285.09 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in China was 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 9.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6853 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1875.
- How does China rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- China ranks 38th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.